What the press say

The Independent - Is your breakfast making you fat?

29 Apr 2008

It has more effect on your weight than any other meal – but the low-fat choice might not be the healthiest. Dr Rosie Haining tests the options

Think before you skip your breakfast. Earlier this year a Dutch study of 35,000 people found that those who skipped breakfast were more than twice as likely to be overweight. Breakfast eaters were slimmer even if they consumed more calories in total. Other research suggests if you employ folkloric advice and breakfast like a king, you are less likely to gain weight and succumb to overeating throughout the rest of the day.

But if you really want to stay slender and healthy, what you eat is important. One study found that cornflakes stimulated the fat-storage hormone, insulin, more than pure sugar.

The key is to watch the glycaemic load (GL) of the foods you choose. GL is a way to work out the effect foods have on blood sugar. Low GL foods, such as those rich in protein, will keep you satisfied for longer and prevent snacking. High GL foods, including many commercial breakfast cereals, raise blood sugar rapidly and cause more energy to be stored as fat.

Dr John Briffa, a nutritionist and the author of The True You Diet, runs clinics in two north London hospitals. He says: "Without a good breakfast, many people struggle to get control over their eating. The most common breakfasts – packaged cereals and toast – tend not to satisfy the appetite for long and provoke low blood sugar, which actually stimulates appetite, particularly for sweet starchy food."

Dr Mark Liponis, a diet guru whose Massachusetts medical spa has entertained celebrities such as Julia Roberts and Helena Christensen, advises those who are looking to lose weight to eat protein for breakfast, particularly eggs, protein powders or nuts.

So what is the best way to begin the day? GP Dr Rosie Haining tried 10 different breakfasts to test the theories of Dr Briffa and Dr Liponis.

THE DIET PLAN
GO LOWER NUT CLUSTERS (www.golower.co.uk)
Portion size: 30g
Calories: 120
Fat per 100g: 10g
Protein per 100g: 17.5g
Carbs per 100g: 5g
GL: Low

"This is the breakfast meal provided by a new delivery diet programme, which I ate on the morning of a gruelling all-day conference. I felt cheated when I poured out the minute portion of nut clusters and wondered how on earth I would keep going. But once I'd added lots of milk it looked like a proper meal – I was astonished by how well I functioned all day. Sitting in a dark, warm lecture theatre, I concentrated for hours on end without feeling drowsy. I was so surprised not to feel hungry at elevenses – four hours after my breakfast. Even at lunch I wasn't amazingly hungry."

Dr Briffa says: "This looks like the perfect antidote to pre-packaged cereals. If you haven't the time to make your own protein-rich breakfast that won't flood the bloodstream with sugar, this has more than two-and-a-half times more protein than the muesli and it's a smaller portion, showing that it is not just volume that dictates how filling a meal can be. The nuts are great for holding appetite and people shouldn't worry about the fattening effects of them – a study in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition reviewed 12 studies which found no increase in weight when people added nuts to their diets."